Academy and Beyond
by SHUT DOWN - NO UPDATES
Summary: Slight AU. School sucks, doesn't it? A life as a shinobi lies ahead should she pass her exams in two years. However, Sakura must first deal with a multitude of problems; many that a student shouldn't have to face. But that's only the beginning...
1. I

**_Hello everyone :) I hope you all had a nice Christmas. Well, 2010 is almost over and I thought I'd start 2011 with a little fic that's been bugging me. As I said, it's slightly AU in that there are modern conveniences such as phones, tv's etc and that (as the title suggests) it's set in school. Everyone is sixteen yet the storyline will weave through the original Naruto storyline and through to Shippuden with my own little additions here and there. _**

**_And so, we begin. _**

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**_Academy and Beyond_**

**_Chapter I_**

A sigh left Sakura's lips as the final lengthy curl fell into place, her curlers laid carefully to one side. Although she enjoyed studying to become a shinobi, the pinkette loved being able to get in touch with her feminine side on those days when she wasn't required to do much physical activity. Now fully dressed, with minutes to spare, Sakura grabbed her green blazer and threw it on as she headed for the door of her bedroom. The smell of her mother's cooking lingered even now; half an hour after breakfast had ended. Mrs Haruno had now long since left for work, leaving Sakura to take care of herself in the meantime.

As Sakura wandered downstairs, she noticed that her book bag lay where she had flung it on the previous Friday evening; in the corner nearest to the front door. Normally it didn't live there but Sakura had been too drained after a particularly harsh afternoon dedicated to working on her stamina in Ninja Arts class to genuinely care about trivial things like that. After slinging it over her shoulder and slipping on her shoes, Sakura glanced quickly at the clock. An hour separated her from when she needed to be in class.

'_That's more than enough time'_ she thought as she gently opened the door, happy in the knowledge that for once her primping hadn't made her later than usual.

Being able to dawdle was a luxury that Sakura was not going to pass up on. Her soft eyes watched the sky as she walked through the maze of streets which separated her from the train station. This habit had stayed with Sakura throughout her school career. Even now, as a junior, she felt no need to rush on days like this. The rest of the village rushed around her as they went about their everyday business but, for the time being, Sakura followed her own pace. As she walked, Sakura noticed several other students making their way to the same train station that she was headed to. Obviously freshmen, confusion screwed up their faces as they looked around at each other for guidance. Being only two days since the start of a new school year, it didn't surprise Sakura that they didn't know their way around as of yet. In fact, it wasn't merely the school that some of them had trouble navigating. Some students had moved from other countries to enrol in Konoha Academy and therefore had no knowledge of the village itself. Sakura saw one such boy wandering around on his own, a map clutched in his hands. Every few seconds his eyes shot back and forth between the map and the pavement in front of him. It amused Sakura to see that as it refreshed her memories of being a freshman. She too had once tried to read one of those maps, failing miserably. It had taken quite a bit of trial and error before she had finally caved in and asked Kiba for help. Sakura would have helped this boy had they not been so close to their destination anyway.

Sakura's hand reached for her phone as it began to vibrate. _Piggy_ flashed up on the screen so Sakura immediately answered the call.

"Hey Ino, what's up?" Sakura asked.

Something strange seemed to be going on in the background. If Sakura didn't know any better, she'd have said it was something like slurping. Ino sounded extremely out of breath too.

"What?" Sakura squawked, "Look Piggy, tear yourself away from your bed and get the fuck in before I come and kick your ass! That goes for Chouji too!"

_xxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxx_

Inuzuka Kiba sniffed the air once more to find her scent. The scent of cherry blossoms drifted ever closer at an agonisingly slow pace. His golden brown eyes met the blue ones of Uzumaki Naruto and he said, "She's around the corner. Remember what I told you. If she finds out, we're in some deep shit, Naruto." Kiba leaned as casually as he could against the brick wall outside the train station. The blond beside him reeked of anxiety, not to mention the fact that he looked deathly pale at the thought of the pink haired bombshell being just around the corner from their location. Had Kiba chosen to be honest with himself, he'd have acknowledged his own nerves when he thought of what Sakura would do should she _ever_ find out about his and Naruto's Friday night. His hand shook slightly as he dipped it inside his blazer pocket, pulling out a box of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Dude, Sakura's still gonna go nuts if she sees that!" Naruto hissed, "You know she hates that stuff."

"So?" Kiba asked, taking a drag, "I'm just as nervous as you. I need this and she can't tell me what to do. Sakura ain't my Ma."

"She's way fuckin' scarier." Naruto muttered, making Kiba chuckle.

"Pinkie's bark is way worse than her bite." he said.

"That's what I'm afraid of!" Naruto squeaked, "She could knock us both out with a single punch!" The blond felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see the raven haired Uchiha Sasuke pointing in the opposite direction with a light smirk across his face.

"Then you should prepare yourself quickly, dobe." he said, "Here she comes."

Naruto and Kiba stiffened considerably, despite the calming effects of Kiba's cigarette. The flowing pink locks of Haruno Sakura came bouncing towards them, the curls framing her face as they flowed to a point at the centre of her back. How could someone so beautiful incite so much fear into her friends? With a panicked glance back at Kiba, Naruto snatched the cigarette from him, crushing it underfoot.

"Oi!" Kiba shouted, "I needed that! Now how am I going to deal with Sakura?"

"Shut up." Naruto said, "It ain't worth gettin' castrated for."

"Damn ... That girl really has you two whipped." Nara Shikamaru laughed as he too leaned against the wall of the station. Kiba flipped the boy off before briefing Naruto once more on what to do when Sakura finally made it over to them. The pair of them spoke in low tones until the pink haired girl crossed the street to meet them, her usual smile playing across her face; deceptive of the anger which could erupt at a moment's notice should anything get on her bad side. Naruto broke off his conversation with Kiba, rushing forwards to grip Sakura in an almost overenthusiastic hug.

"Sakura-chan!" he said as he lifted her up into the air and spun her around, "You look really nice today."

Sakura felt her cheeks flush as Naruto let go, "Arigato Naruto. You seem in a very good mood."

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head at the same time. Shikamaru chuckled quietly.

"If only you knew, Sakura." he said. Sakura quirked her eyebrow upwards as she tilted her head in response.

"Care to elaborate, Shika?" she asked, "Or is this something I don't want to know about?"

"Oh how I'd _love_ to tell you ..." the shadow ninja in training smirked as Naruto and Kiba silently panicked together, "But you're right, you really _don't_ wanna know." This piqued Sakura's curiosity, however if it was that bad she decided that she would leave the situation well alone. Sakura turned to acknowledge Sasuke's presence with a quick mutally shared nod. Nodding may not have been much but it had taken Sakura years to get to that point and she wasn't going to complain. At least he was acknowledging her now. There was a moment of silence amongst the group before Sakura sighed.

"Ino and Chouji are gonna be late. They're a little _tied up_ if you catch my drift." The pink haired girl made no attempt to hide that fact that she was unimpressed with her best friend, "She said not to bother waiting."

"So that's Shino, Ino, Chouji _and_ Hinata who aren't in today." Kiba huffed, folding his arms, "It's barely worth even bothering to go in myself."

Sakura snorted, turning on him, "And maybe that attitude's why you're _barely_ scraping a pass in each class."

"Who needs class when I've got my own little encyclopedia right here?" Kiba grinned, patting Sakura on the head.

"You can't take me on missions with you when we graduate, Kiba." Sakura said, pursing her lips as she swatted his hand away, "I've told you before that you'll have to learn this stuff sooner or later."

"And I choose later." Kiba said, moving past her, "Are we goin' or what?"

"It's your funeral." Sakura muttered, shaking her head. The group wandered through the gates and onto the platform. Several students congregated in small numbers around the platform which allowed the group to wait where they knew that they could quickly grab decent seats on the train. It was only a few minutes before it came trundling around the corner, the tracks rattling beneath it. Sometimes Kiba's incredible senses could be pretty damned useful.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

Without Ino or Hinata to talk to on the train, Sakura became all too aware of the vast differences between the boys and girls of their group. She couldn't even begin to fathom what on earth they were talking about, merely assuming when Naruto used the term 'body slam' that they were talking about wrestling or something. The pinkette merely plugged her ears with her iPod and stared out of the window; something which didn't make the journey any more interesting as the train moved too quickly to enjoy any of the scenery.

Sakura's head perked up as the train began to slow down, the blurry scenery becoming clearer.

She attempted to see where they were; another station. It seemed a little strange as the train usually made the journey straight to Konoha Academy without any additional stops. Sakura wasn't the only student to notice that fact either, a multitude of other people looked around at their friends in confusion as if they could somehow give them the answer that they looked for.

A small breeze swept through the carriage as one of the train's doors opened to let the latecomers on. Sakura looked around to the four boys she sat with and saw that each had their eyes trained upon the door.

A soft series of growls accompanied a small struggle which seemed to come from Kiba's backpack.

"Kiba, tell me you didn't ..." Sakura sighed as she bent down to unzip the bag. Sure enough the quivering form of the dog boy's companion lay amongst several barely used books. Sakura gently lifted the poor thing out and rested him upon her lap, "You didn't even leave the zip open a little bit! He could have-"

"Shhh." Kiba hissed. His hair had begun to stand on end and his eyes were slowly becoming more feral. On her lap, Akamaru began to quiver more violently. The pinkette stroked his fur in an effort to calm him down.

"I don't recognise their scents." Kiba growled as eight people strode through their compartment door, "I don't know who they are but I already don't like 'em."

Sakura looked once more towards the door, seeing just what was so bad about these people. Kiba's instincts had a habit of running away with him sometimes so she couldn't be too sure that he wasn't just overreacting. The man at the forefront of the new group immediately saw to her doubts. His face and ears held a multitude of piercings and his eyes were a strange ripple pattern. To his right a girl stood with short blue hair and amber eyes. She appeared to be gentler than the others, but not by much.

Towering over them from behind stood possibly the most colossal boy Sakura had ever seen; not to mention the oddest looking. His skin was a pale blue colour and his cheeks held strange markings on them. What were they? Gills? He scanned the carriage presumably for a place to sit.

For a second Sakura believed that Ino had walked in with them, however her lookalike was male. His blond hair was just as well groomed and styled as the Yamanaka princess' so the mistake was easy to make. Bangs covered half of his feminine face yet Sakura could see the unfriendly frown creasing his features. To his left stood a boy who looked young for his age, his deep red hair contrasting with the paleness of his skin. His entire face held such an unnerving lack of emotion that sent a shiver down Sakura's spine.

Now she knew why Kiba was so agitated.

Their appearances alone were enough to put the entire carriage on edge. Coupled with the feel of their chakra, well ... Sakura half expected Naruto and Kiba to leap up and start a fight or something.

As long as they merely found a seat and stayed quiet, that wouldn't have to happen.

Sakura couldn't count the number of fights that the boys had been in due to something stupid being said to or by them and she didn't really want to have to break one up on the second day of the year.

As the group wandered further in, two more people walked in after them. One had his white shirt open slightly, revealing a toned chest underneath. His silvery hair hung to his shoulders and he wore a bored expression similar to Shikamaru's. The other looked truly fearsome. If Sakura hadn't known better, she'd have said that his mouth had been sewn shut at the sides. _'Who would do that to themselves?'_ Sakura wondered.

Sakura felt something nudge her stomach. Looking down, she saw Akamaru trying to embed himself into her body as if trying to get away from the intimidating group.

When they sat on the row directly in front of them, Sakura took in a sharp breath.

Now she wouldn't be able to relax. With Naruto and Kiba, the most volatile memebers of their group, on their guard, the slightest thing could set them off. If they lost it, she'd be expected to back them up.

So much for an easy few days while she settled back into school life.

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**_I hope you enjoyed that :) I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. _**

**_Reviews are always appreciated and welcome. _**

**_See you next time,  
AN. T. Karismah_**


	2. II

**_Hello everyone :) I hope you're all well. I'm just about to start my A level exams so I'm revising like crazy on top of all my writing. Exams suck, eh? _**

**_Anyway, I'm sure you'd rather I didn't ramble on and on so ... Lets get this show on the road!_**

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**_Academy and Beyond_**

**_Chapter II_**

Konoha Academy; known worldwide not only for its sporting and academic excellence, but also for its unparalleled Ninja Arts program. It was this very same program which produced the Legendary Sannin and Konoha's White Fang. Those who graduated were seen as the cream of the crop, the very best. The grounds, much like the rest of Konoha were filled with lush greenery and well maintained flowers. The First Hokage, who founded not only the village but also the Academy, found that such an environment was highly stimulating and therefore encouraged the wildlife to flourish.

At this moment in time, Kiba and Naruto were doing their utmost to destroy its reputation both as a skilled Ninja Academy and a tranquil learning environment.

"Would you two _please_ calm down?" Sakura hissed through gritted teeth as she walked through a set of double doors. From the train station to the Academy, a trip of around half a mile at least, neither Kiba nor Naruto had shown any signs of dropping the subject of the mysterious group of people that they had encountered on the train. Sakura too found them intimidating, but she did not feel the need to dwell upon the matter so much.

Several heads turned to watch as the group passed through the corridors. In the confined space the chakra emitted from the pair was downright oppressive, as if both boys felt the need to re-establish their positions as Alpha males. Even from Kiba, who constantly expressed his dominance in everything he did, this seemed a little extreme. It was as if all control of their chakras had vanished entirely. Naruto's whisker marks had deepened in colour and widened considerably. There were flickers of scarlet emerging in his eyes. Many students (even those whom were not part of the shinobi program) moved out of the path of the group purely because of the feeling of their chakras. The way that so many people stopped and stared in a different manner than usual embarrassed Sakura immensely.

With a deepening pink flush, Sakura spoke up once again, "Seriously, if you don't calm down soon I'll ..."

"Do what?" Kiba snarled, turning to face Sakura the instant she uttered the words. He towered over her, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes, "Go on? You'll do what?"

Sakura could feel the oppressive nature of his chakra pressing down upon her. She fell silent the moment that his eyes locked with hers, his Alpha challenge forcing her to break off from her threat.

When Sakura broke eye contact with him and shifted into a more submissive stance, Kiba bared his teeth with a growl, "Pathetic. You don't even have the guts to back up your threat."

Sakura felt someone stand close behind her. A brief glance backwards showed Sasuke stood protectively a few inches away from her.

"Back off Inuzuka." he warned, "Sakura's not an enemy."

"He's right, man." Shikamaru sighed, finally stepping forwards to second the Uchiha's words, "Those guys are long gone. Drop it and leave Sakura alone."

It seemed as if the whole corridor felt silent and still in anticipation of Kiba's next move. Would he attack Sakura like he was so prone to doing whenever anyone _else_ challenged him? Or would he walk away? Expecting the former, Sakura's fist clenched. Kiba's body language gave no indication of him backing down, that is until he finally seemed to come to his senses.

Kiba blinked three times before shaking his head, slowly regaining his self control. The teen realised from whom the challenge had come only once he had looked down at Sakura again. He saw Sakura's fists clenched by her sides, ready to knock him senseless, her eyes burning with the same desire, "Oh ... Sorry Sakura. I guess I got a little carried away, didn't I?"

"What on _earth_ gave you _that_ idea?" Sakura snapped, pushing past the Inuzuka heir.

Shikamaru let out a heavy sigh.

"Great job, Kiba." he said, "Now we're all gonna get it in the neck. Why can't you just keep a low profile for once?"

With that, he too walked down the corridor.

Kiba rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling sheepishly. How many times had he lost control of himself after surrendering to his instincts? So many times that it almost became comical. The Inuzuka glanced towards Naruto who had also begun to calm down in the wake of the confrontation. He certainly did not wish to get on the pinkette's bad side any more than he should.

"C'mon, we'd best get going." Naruto said nervously, "Sakura-chan'll want an apology anyway."

"Best idea you've had today." Sasuke smirked, "But it still won't soften the blow later."

"Shut up, teme!" Naruto snapped, "She's not going to find out!"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, dismissing what his teammate had said completely. Something inside him didn't like the way that both Kiba and Naruto were insulting Sakura's intelligence. Still, he accompanied the pair down the corridor as they followed in the wake of their two friends.

_XxxXxxXxxX_

Homeroom had been an awkward affair. Sakura hadn't uttered a single word other than when their sensei, Kurenai, had called her name. Even though both Naruto and Kiba had tried to apologise, she had merely shrugged it off. Even now, as the group sat in their Medical Training class, Sakura refused to say a word to anyone but Shikamaru and Sasuke; something which proved to be problematic for both Naruto and Kiba who planned to rely upon Sakura's pre-existing medicinal knowledge to get them through the lessons with Shizune.

The classroom was brightly lit with plenty of windows allowing the sunlight through. Positioned atop Shizune's desk was a massive tank full of different sized fish. The smallest fish were for the beginners when it came to chakra control and, over the course of the next two years, the class would hopefully be able to move up through the ranks to perform minor operations on humans. On the blackboard was a diagram of the chakra network within the fishes that the class was supposed to be working on. Shizune had explained the concept of channelling their chakra into the fish's own chakra network in order to rapidly accelerate the fish's ability to heal itself. She had begun to circumnavigate the room while both Naruto and Kiba stood staring down at a small fish which lay motionless upon an unravelled scroll. They were supposed to revive it and place it back into the water tank; a task which was markedly more difficult than anything else that they had ever done. However, now that they were juniors, each Ninja Arts student was required by Konoha law to have at least basic knowledge of medical ninjutsu.

"Dude, I'll never call a medic weak again." Naruto whined as the green glow around his hands fizzled into nothingness once more, "How do they do it?"

"It's all about chakra control, Naruto-kun. You'll get it eventually." Shizune's voice as she moved behind the pair made both of them jump. It was scary how a jonin could move so silently, even during a lesson. She smiled softly as she wandered around the classroom, "I'm not expecting you to be as skilled as Sakura-chan on your first day. After all, she's had training with Tsunade-sama remember?"

Both boys simultaneously glanced over at Sakura who was far beyond anything that the rest of the class was doing. Her hands hovered over a human body which had been borrowed from the university's research facility, healing the collection of wounds with a speed which astounded them both.

"I could do with some of that myself." Kiba grumbled.

"Screw the medical training," said Naruto, "I wanna learn how to make craters with my bare hands."

"That, boys, is even more complex." Shizune laughed from across the room, "Just stick to your fish.

"Class!" she called, "If you find that it's not working as well as you'd like, then you'll need to refine your chakra a little more. Just remember not to do it too much or you could do more damage than good!"

"_Now_ she tells us." Kiba groaned as he removed his hands once more to see that the gash across the fish's side had deepened considerably, "And this is only the first fuckin' lesson! How much more difficult can this shit get?"

"Here's a little incentive for those of you who are losing the will to live." Shizune smirked, glancing over at Naruto and Kiba as if she had read their minds specifically, "This exercise not only helps with your medical abilities, but it can transfer to your Ninja Arts studies too."

Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke and even Shikamaru's heads shot up to look at their sensei. How on earth could medical ninjutsu help during a fight?

"Confused?" she laughed, "Look at it this way ... The better your chakra control, the more efficient your jutsus become. You can even take it to the extremes that Hokage-sama and Sakura-chan have and, as Naruto rightly said, increase your physical strength to monstrous levels."

Shizune's eyes glinted as she leaned over Naruto's and Kiba's desk, "Hokage-sama has even used her chakra control to find a way of cheating death in battle."

_That_ got everyone in the classroom working. The chance that they might be able to master a technique of that calibre was too big an opportunity to pass up. With a renewed vigour Kiba and Naruto began to channel chakra into their fish, the signature greenish glow surrounding their hands and encompassing the fish's wounds. Sasuke, true to form, had passed from the small fish and was now working on a larger one which Shizune had personally taken from the tank at the front of the classroom and slashed with a kunai. But it was Shikamaru who took the cake. His fish was large enough to take up half of the desk by itself. It figured that he would be talented with his chakra considering that his shadow manipulation jutsus required precise control.

Kiba wiped away a bead of sweat from his forehead and relaxed for a brief second. Through the open window a breeze blew into the room, carrying with it a scent which made the dog boy growl instinctively and his eyes snap to the window.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, seeing Kiba become more agitated all of a sudden.

"_**Them.**_" he snarled through gritten teeth as he pointed outside.

"You sure?" Naruto asked.

"I'd recognise the stink of their chakra anywhere." Kiba growled. A whine came from inside the boy's bookbag. It appeared that the scent had permeated the material, waking the slumbering canine, "So would Akamaru." he added.

Naruto looked out of the window at last, just in time to catch a glimpse of a group of around ten people walk towards the main building. At the very forefront of the group was the blonde Hokage, Tsunade. She was talking rapidly to a tall man with silver hair which seemed to defy gravity. Naruto's brow creased in confusion, "What's Baa-chan and Kakashi-sensei doin' with those assholes?" he asked.

"Beats me." Kiba shrugged, "But I don't like the smell of any of them."

"Oh give it a rest!" came a hushed whisper. Kiba looked over to see Sakura glaring at him. There was no mistake who had chastised them, "Just _drop it_!"

He and Naruto shared a glance, "Skip English with me?" Naruto suggested, "We'll talk then."

"Sure. Get Shika and the Uchiha and we'll see what we can do about that lot." Kiba agreed.

"Right class!" Shizune called, interrupting the arrangements being made between the pair. Behind her stood the silver haired Hatake Kakashi, one of his hands thrust into his pocket while the other gripped an orange book in front of his face, "Hokage-sama wants everyone in the main hall in ten minutes. I'll end the lesson early so that you can get there on time. Your homework is to practise your chakra control. Next lesson we get serious. "

There was a shuffling of bags and a scraping of chairs before everyone filed out of the classroom, muttering excitedly about what the Hokage might want to talk to everyone about. Visits from the Hokage were few and far between, the woman preferring to delegate such tasks to her underlings, so a moment like this was intriguing for all.

_XxxXxxXxxX_

The main hall was filled with chairs stood in rows which stretched from one side of the room to the other. In front of them, usually used for awards ceremonies, was the large podium. At the back sat the seven students who had been on the train with Sakura and her friends. None of them looked incredibly enthusiastic about being in front of the entire student body, particularly the big blue one who dwarfed his chair with his huge body. Tsunade was stood just to the left of her platform, talking to a boy with long, raven hair. He looked to be a year older than Sakura's group of friends and his uniform was slightly different to everyone else's. His tie, rather than being purely green, had golden stripes sewn onto it. A gold badge was also pinned to his lapel saying 'Head Boy'.

"Oi, teme!" Naruto said, nudging Sasuke hard, "What's Itachi doin' up there?"

"Isn't it _obvious,_ dobe?" Sasuke grunted, "It's the head boy's job to show the new students around. Itachi''ll be acting as a guide for a few weeks."

"Poor guy." Kiba said, "I wouldn't want to spend even one moment alone with those guys."

Sakura had just about had enough of Kiba's incessant whining about the new students. Her eyes scewered him as she snarled, "Well no-one's asking you to! Stop bloody complaining about something which has nothing to do with you!"

"Why do you keep telling me what to do?" Kiba retorted, "I don't like the look of them and I'll say so if I want to!"

"Fine! If you do it _once_!" Sakura argued, "You haven't shut up about them since we saw the bunch of them on the train! If I didn't know better I'd say you were in love with one of them or something."

The pair descended into intense bickering across their friends who sat in the two seats between them. Sakura's curled hair shook with her head as she put every ounce of her previously restrained fury into chastising Kiba. He gave just as good as he got, countering Sakura's barrage with witty one-liners and counter-arguments which made the pinkette unsure of whether she should laugh or be even angrier with him.

"Settle down now everyone!" Tsunade called down the microphone which was attached to her stand.

"We are _far_ from finished, Kiba." Sakura said in a hushed whisper as she sat back in her chair.

The entire room fell into complete silence as the Hokage addressed them all simultaneously, "First things first, allow me to welcome you all back for another year. I would like to say well done to all of you for managing to pass your exams and advance.

"That's what I'd _like_ to say." Tsunade frowned, "But quite frankly its a wonder that many of you are here at all. I don't know what the Sandaime was doing but obviously the standards of this Academy have fallen substantially since I studied here."

Each of the students shared half insulted, half confused expressions. Many stomachs sank, those pupils knowing that Tsunade was addressing them directly as they had only just made it into the next year by the skin of their teeth.

"That is why I have been in intense negotiations with our allies in the other Hidden Villages." Tsunade continued, "I feel that many of you need to be pushed; challenged." her eyes somehow managed to rest upon Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru, "Some of you have been allowed to become lazy. As a result, our Academy's reputation has suffered. Our shinobi are supposed to be the best! But I know for a fact that there are some of you who still cannot manipulate your chakra correctly."

A snicker erupted from Naruto's mouth, attracting attention from all sides.

"I don't know what you're laughing at, brat." Tsunade snapped, "Unless you've rapidly improved, your chakra control is some of the worst I've seen in years!"

Naruto suddenly stopped laughing, his cheeks turning bright red as Sakura chortled beside him.

"Now then, with the Sandaime's retirement, there will be some new changes made to the shinobi system; one of which some of you will have already experienced." Tsunade said, "From now on, every Ninja Arts student will be required to have at least basic knowledge of medical ninjutsu before they graduate." Kiba and Naruto winced at that. They had barely grasped _today's_ lesson. How were they supposed to survive the year?

"I'm sure you will understand that in order to survive on the battlefield, we need medics." Tsunade said, "Well this method allows each team to have at least _some_ medical knowledge at their disposal, therefore increasing their chances of survival.

"Of course, there is also the matter of your grades; and I am talking exclusively to the Ninja Arts students now. That is why I've invited the very best from each Hidden Village Academy to come and study here for this year." she continued, "As the best, they will push those lazy asses to work harder to attain their positions as shinobi."

Sounds of protest filled the room which made Tsunade chuckle.

"Oh c'mon." she smirked maliciously, "Are you all afraid of a challenge? Afraid that these seven might be stronger than you?"

"Hell no!" roared Naruto. He was met with murmurs and nods of approval from his surrounding classmates.

"Good." Tsunade smiled, "Then allow me to introduce ...

"Yahiko and Konan from Amegakure."

The blonde Hokage gestured to the blue haired girl and her orange haired friend with multiple piercings. Both of them stood up and bowed, almost reluctantly, to the students.

"From Kirigakure, Hoshigaki Kisame."

This time the enormous, blue-skinned, shark-like boy stood up and waved briefly before reassuming his seat.

"Hidan from Yugakure and Kakuzu from Takigakure."

The silvery haired boy stood up with the boy who appeared to have his mouth sewn shut at both sides. A shiver shot through Sakura's spine when she saw him. Meanwhile Kiba and Naruto were becoming slowly more agitated again. Whether it was Tsunade's teasing or the group's chakra, they didn't know.

"And last but not least, from Iwagakure we have Deidara and from Sunagakure, Sasori!"

Once again, two students stood up. This time it was the blond Ino lookalike and the young looking boy with deep red hair. Both bowed respectfully and sat straight back down. Tsunade looked particularly proud of herself upon seeing the mixture of fear, excitement and agitation within the students. _'We may get our best year yet.'_ she thought as she motioned for Uchiha Itachi to step forward.

"Itachi, our head boy, will be showing these seven around just until they learn the ropes." Tsunade said, "Do me a favour, brats...

"Don't make Konoha look stupid."

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**_How did that go? I hope I didn't drag it out too much. _**

**_Reviews are always appreciated :)_**

**_Until next time,  
AN. T. Karismah_**


	3. III

**_Hi everyone :) I hope you're enjoying the story so far ..._**

**_I don't own Naruto. Or syndetic lists. Or archaic pronouns. (guess which one I would LIKE to own) lol. _**

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**_Academy and Beyond_**

**_Chapter III_**

Sakura's English class refused to calm down even a bit after the rousing assembly called by Tsunade. Many students were indignant at being criticised about their grades or ninja abilities while an equal number were fixated upon the new exchange students. In the time between them entering the classroom and their perpetually late sensei, the class chattered and gossiped. Sakura herself couldn't have been less interested if she tried. To her they were merely exchange students. To her they needed to have a normal experience, not gossip and speculation; especially not on their first day at the Academy.

After being criticised so brutally by the Hokage, no student dared to skip class. The general consensus was that Tsunade needed to be proven wrong. However, the two people that Sakura had expected to be the most inspired had failed to turn up at all; much to her intense annoyance.

"It's as if they didn't listen to a word Tsunade-shishou said." Sakura grumbled, a puff of air blowing her bangs out of her face.

Sasuke shook his head, "They'd made plans to skip before the assembly, Sakura. Naruto and the Inuzuka aren't the kind of people to change their plans just because of a few new rules."

"They'd already planned this?" Sakura asked, her eyes becoming wide.

"Yeah." he said, "They asked me and Shikamaru to come too. Judging by the way the pair was behaving earlier I wouldn't be surprised if they were doing a little 'hunting'."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. So even now they wouldn't just let it go? They couldn't just leave the new students in peace. It was bad enough that everyone else was talking about them but Naruto and Kiba were going to take it a step further and actually _stalk_ them.

"Idiots." she groaned.

Three vibrations shook Sakura's pocket gently. A slender hand dipped inside to pull out the small device.

'_Ra-chan, we're skipping class. You and Sasuke cover 4 us.'_

Upon seeing a look of incredulity cross Sakura's face, Sasuke read the text over her shoulder and shook his head, "Just what do they expect us to do?" he asked, "It's going to be hard to cover for them when Kakashi saw them in Medical Training earlier. He already knows they're here."

"Ugh ..." Sakura grunted, "They're gonna make me break about a million rules just so they can avoid detention."

The pinkette reluctantly heaved herself out of her seat and weaved her way through the random groups who gathered around the desks talking to one another. Sasuke's eyes were trained upon her questioningly as she made her way towards the door. She didn't pass through; instead she merely stopped just before it and began to weave a steady stream of hand signs. Sasuke's brow furrowed. She really _was_ breaking a million rules just to help them. Casting a Genjutsu on a sensei amounted to automatic expulsion but, as Kakashi was also a shinobi, it also could potentially warrant imprisonment under the Misuse of Ninjutsu Act passed by the Sandaime Hokage himself.

"They had better be grateful for that." Sakura huffed as she sat down in her seat sharply.

"Do you think it'll work?" Sasuke asked, "This _is_ Kakashi."

"Not a chance." Sakura sighed, "But I've got to try. Kakashi-sensei would never forgive me if I bailed on them.

"Hopefully my Genjutsu will hold up and cause Kakashi-sensei to see Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru in their seats." Sakura explained, "The only problem will be if Kakashi-sensei asks them a question."

"Speak of the devil..." Sasuke muttered as the door of the classroom opened slowly. The man they had seen before in Shizune's class walked into the room, making Sakura suck in a sharp breath. The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched as he saw the silver haired man's only visible eye become unfocused for just a second before returning to normal. _'Nice job Sakura.'_ the Uchiha prodigy thought.

Kakashi walked to the front of his desk and leaned against it, folding his arms as he scanned the classroom. Sat alone at the very back he could see one of the new exchange students; Deidara. He was simply staring out of the window with a bored expression, his hand repeatedly sweeping through his bangs. As Kakashi's eyes raked forwards he saw something which made him shake his head.

"Couldn't even be bothered to listen even for a moment." he muttered, "Never mind that. Welcome to English, for those new faces I see among us, I am Hatake Kakashi but you can call me 'sensei'." His patented eye crease smile made both Sakura and Sasuke roll their eyes. They knew Kakashi well enough from the previous few years to know that this was merely a facade. Soon his true colours would be shown. The silver haired sensei grabbed a pile of whiteboards from his desk, along with a box of marker pens and began to hand them out to each student.

"Give me three examples of a syndetic list." he commanded as he moved around the class. When he saw the looks on his students' faces, he smiled, "This is just to see how well your previous senseis have taught you and what I'll need to go over."

After placing the remaining whiteboards and pens back onto his desk, he turned around, this time with an evil grin.

"Also, give me the archaic form of the second person singular _possessive_ pronoun." Kakashi added.

Sasuke and Sakura were the first to begin to scribble something onto their boards. Being taught by Kakashi in the previous two years gave them an advantage over the others in that they had already been taught this stuff. The fact that he had asked for so much was partially due to his inherent evil nature and also to his desire to show off just a little. Some of the other members of the class stared around them in confusion, not writing anything. However, Sakura's blood ran cold when Kakashi uttered the words that she really did not want to hear.

"Inuzuka Kiba. Let's see what _you've_ written."

Biting her lip, Sakura formed an extra couple of hand signs underneath her desk so that no-one could see her. Everyone in the class looked around them in confusion again, looking for the Inuzuka heir. Of course, only Kakashi could see him thanks to Sakura's Genjutsu. Kakashi saw Kiba hold up his board with a cocky grin plastered to his face.

'_The lion, the witch __and__ the wardrobe.'_

'_Me, myself __and__ I'_

'_Alcohol, smoking __and__ drugs are bad for you.'_

For the archaic pronoun Kiba's board read _'Thine'._ Kakashi nodded as he wandered around to the other side of his desk, "Well done, Inuzuka. Nice set of tricolons too." he smirked, "But next time, don't copy off Sakura-chan." No-one else in the room, other than Sasuke and Sakura, knew who on earth Kakashi was talking to. They knew who the Inuzuka heir was, especially some of the females in the class, and he certainly wasn't in the classroom. Sakura felt a little bad that her genjutsu was making Kakashi look insane, but she was not about to let them all get into trouble. What kind of a friend would she be if she did that?

Thankfully the lesson went by without any hitches. Kakashi all but ignored Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru and focused on getting the class up to scratch with things that he deemed 'basic linguistic knowledge'. Sakura was pleased to see Ino finally show her face halfway through the lesson. Chouji had apparently gone off to his own English class with Iruka. So that she didn't give the game away, Sakura had quietly briefed Ino through a series of notes. Ino seemed just as impressed as Sasuke that Sakura's genjutsu had even been able to affect Kakashi at all.

When the bell finally went for break, Sakura quietly whispered 'Kai' under her breath as he turned away to clean the board. By the time he turned around, it merely looked like the three misfit boys had left with the remainder of the class. Sakura, Ino and Sasuke were the only ones remaining.

"Sakura, may I have a quick word." Kakashi said calmly. Sakura indicated to her two friends to wait outside while she stood in front of Kakashi. Once the door closed, his features suddenly filled with fury, "What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"What?" Sakura gasped, not quite ready to give the game up yet.

"I'm a jonin, Sakura. I know a genjutsu when I see one." Kakashi frowned deeply, "Where were the _real_ Kiba, Naruto and Shikamaru?"

Sakura remained silent, merely looking at her feet as Kakashi waited expectantly for an answer, "I don't know sensei. I just got a text from Naruto telling me to cover for them."

Kakashi sighed, leaning back against his desk, "Sakura, while it's admirable that you showed that level of dedication to those three, casting a genjutsu on a fellow Konoha shinobi is _illegal_."

"I know ... But I had to _try_." Sakura said, "You always taught us not to abandon our friends. I couldn't just let them get in trouble sensei!"

Kakashi looked directly into Sakura's eyes and his expression softened, "I knew that would come back to bite me one day." he chuckled as he wandered around to open a draw under his desk. Sakura's eyes narrowed as he pulled out what she expected to be a Formal Complaint slip. When Kakashi slapped four white detention slips onto his desk instead, her eyes widened again. "While I'm proud that you took my teachings to heart," he began, "I have to punish you." He began to fill out the four slips, "This won't go any further than the two of us. Just ... Try to find a less illegal way of tricking me next time."

"Hai." Sakura smiled, "Sorry about that."

"No harm done, except maybe to my status as a sane person." Kakashi smirked, "Tell the boys that I expect a three thousand word essay from each of them before the end of the week too."

"What on?" she asked.

"Why it's wrong to twist a person's words to manipulate a friend." Kakashi smiled.

Sakura looked down at the slips in her hand as she walked out. Instead of 'misuse of jutsu' being listed as the reason for the issuing of the slip, 'making me look mentally imbalanced' was written instead. Sakura laughed to herself as she opened the door.

"Sakura?"

She turned momentarily.

"That was a nice piece of genjutsu, you know." Kakashi said, "Changing it in the middle to suit my little question was a nice touch."

"Arigato." Sakura said before shutting the door completely. The pinkette nearly screamed when she saw Ino stood no more than a couple of inches away from her. The blonde looked about ready to burst as she asked Sakura repeatedly what Kakashi had wanted. She filled both her and Sasuke in on what punishments she and the boys had earned. Even Sasuke laughed at the prospect of the three of them having to write an essay. That would be a first for them.

"Kiba'll be sick!" Ino chortled, "And you can bet that Shikamaru won't be too impressed."

"Naruto won't even do it. That much is certain." Sasuke added with a smirk of his own.

_XxxXxxXxxX_

"Ugh, why can't you have a locker in a _normal_ place like the rest of us?" Ino asked with a slight hint of a teasing tone to her voice, "Are you secretly a masochist, forehead? Is that it?"

Sakura's locker was located down a corridor which was further away from her English lesson than she would have liked. It lay close to the Science corridor so that she could have better access to the Biology department; a personal request sent in by Tsunade herself. Everyone else's lockers were closer to their homerooms which weren't too far away from the English corridor. Since the woman oversaw Sakura's training, she had scheduled some extra hours during Sakura's free periods. Fortunately, the next hour was completely Sakura's to enjoy.

"You got me." Sakura smirked, "I just love punishing myself."

She, Ino and Sasuke turned the corner and weaved through the slowly thinning torrent of students until they came to Sakura's locker. Ino's face lit up, a broad grin stretching her cheeks.

"Oooh! A love note!" she cooed, "Who's the mentally imbalanced guy this time?" Before Sakura could react, Ino had snatched the white envelope from the front of Sakura's locker. Rolling her eyes at her best friend, Sakura opened the door and slid her books inside and took out a notebook full of medicinal techniques. Even though it was a free, Sakura wanted to focus on her training.

Ino's nose scrunched up as she wrenched the contents from the envelope. She excitedly unfolded the piece of paper, fully expecting a declaration of love from a faraway admirer. However, what she got was far from what she wanted.

"Okay, so it's not a love note." she said with absolute disgust dripping from her voice.

"Gimme that." Sakura sighed, snatching the paper back. Her emerald eyes glanced down at it to find that it was a picture. Two boys featured very prominently, dancing with their arms wrapped around a pair of scantily clad women. One of the boys was blond, the other brunette with fang-like birthmarks on his cheeks. In his free hand, the brunette boy had a lit cigarette between his fingers and a pint of beer. The blonde merely had the beer in _his_ hand.

Sakura's face completely skipped pink and leaped straight to scarlet, clashing violently with her hair. The photograph, from the looks of the women on her friends' arms, had been taken in the strip club _'Spotlight'_. That particular club was popular with the elite and upper classes, but was reserved strictly for people over the age of twenty.

"What. The fuck. Is this?" Sakura all but snarled, crumpling not only the paper in her hand, but the locker door that she had been a moment away from closing. The teen's incredible raw strength tore the metal door from its hinges.

"Now, Sakura." Ino tried to reason before Sakura exploded, "Don't get too mad-"

"I'LL MURDER THEM!" Sakura screeched, "I'LL MAKE SURE THAT INUZUKA BASTARD NEV ER TOUCHES ANOTHER WOMAN IN HIS LIFE!"

Everyone in the corridor immediately fell silent and many of the students scurried away from the raging blossom, not wishing to get caught in the inevitable explosion.

"Sakura, calm down!" Ino pleaded, "Getting mad won't help anything."

"It's sure helping now!" Sakura snapped.

"I know but wouldn't it be much more satisfying if _Tsume-san_ dealt with Kiba?" Ino smirked, "Just think about it. He went into a strip club _illegally_ and most likely fucked a woman twice his age. Just think what Tsume-san'll do to him when we tell her!"

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed deeply, picturing the Inuzuka matriarch in full fury. A malicious grin spread across her face.

"I like that plan." Sakura said, "Tsunade-shishou can deal with Naruto too."

"Oh that's the spirit." Ino laughed, "And we can sit back and enjoy the show."

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle as the two women plotted. Ino may have been annoying before she began dating Chouji, but she was certainly making herself useful now. Sakura appeared to have tempered her rage into something far more potent; something which could make both Naruto and Kiba sorry that they had ever tried to hide that from her.

"So that was what they were doing on Friday night was it?" Sakura asked, pursing her lips as she stared at the picture again, "Naruto told me that they were going out for a drink but he never told me where."

"I bet the dobe thought that by not _technically_ lying to you he wouldn't get in trouble." Sasuke offered.

"Bakas." Ino sighed, shaking her head, "What an absolute pair of bakas."

Sakura sighed too, "What else could possibly go wrong today? I've got a detention for making sure that my friends didn't get in trouble, and now I find out that Naruto and Kiba _lied_ to me!"

"Um ... I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, Forehead ..." Ino said cautiously, "But you broke your locker." The blonde pointed to the now creased piece of metal, which no longer resembled a door, in her best friend's hand.

Sakura swore loudly, frightening a passing freshman.

_XxxXxxXxxX_

The sun filtered through the leaves to shine upon Kiba's face as he sat on one of the branches of his group's favourite trees. His eyes were closed yet his other senses remained vigilant. His hearing had been growing steadily more sensitive over the summer and had reached a new peak over the weekend. He could easily hear the conversation going on between two girls over twenty metres away. A smirk crossed his face when he heard his name mentioned. His right eye opened briefly.

'_Not bad ...'_ he thought as he checked both girls out, _'I might have to thank them personally.'_

Kiba reached up and gently tugged on a leaf before twirling between his fingertips. He hoped that Sakura had read Naruto's text or else they were going to be on the receiving end of a very angry Kakashi. He was the one sensei whose lessons he, Naruto and Shikamaru could very rarely get away with skipping. If Sakura had done her job properly then this would be one of those times.

"Hehehe ... Not heard a peep out of Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said from down on the ground, "I knew Sakura-chan would come through for us."

"Pinky may be a nag but she has her uses." Kiba smiled, "It's a pity we couldn't learn more about those new guys."

"Yeah, such a shame." Naruto said sarcastically, "Seriously Kiba, those guys really freak me out."

"I hear ya." he agreed with a nod, "Their chakra's like nothing I've ever seen; especially that guy with the piercings."

Naruto nodded, but it wasn't the boy's chakra which freaked Naruto out. His _eyes_ were the blonde's main source of fear. Their ripple pattern was strangely captivating yet oozed with a power that neither Naruto nor Kiba liked the feel of. Mind you, each of that group had foul feeling chakra; the kind of chakra which put the more sensitive trainees on edge. The jinchuuriki glanced to his left to see Shikamaru fast asleep. He genuinely admired the guy's ability to be calm in just about any situation.

The bell had rung for break a full five minutes before the pair saw any sign of Sakura. Kiba had actually _felt_ her coming closer before seeing her. There was a strange sense of something being stifled in the smell of her pheromones, making it difficult to read what she was feeling. His branch shook violently and began to creak as if something had collided with it, hard. Kiba suddenly knew Sakura's mood as he tumbled to the ground with the branch falling atop him.

"Man Sakura ... You could have asked me to come down." Kiba groaned as he pushed the branch of him. He stood up only to be pushed into the trunk of the tree. _'Shit ... Does she know?'_ When he heard a yelp from both Naruto and Shikamaru, he thought that his worst fears had been confirmed. How could she have found out though? He looked down at the shorter girl and her annoyance certainly didn't match the viciousness of her actions.

"These..." Sakura flashed four white slips in front of her, "Are for you three. Think of it as a welcome back present from Kakashi-sensei."

Kiba snatched his detention slip from Sakura with a growl. Glaring at Naruto he snarled, "I thought you told her to cover for us."

"Oh he did." Sakura snapped, holding up the final one, "What do you think _this_ is for?"

"What the fuck did you do? Knock him out?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke stepped forwards, "No, she cast a genjutsu on the door of the classroom which Kakashi was caught in."

"He actually fell for it?" Naruto laughed, "Way to go Sakura-chan!"

"No you dobe, he didn't." Sasuke sighed, "He let Sakura believe it had worked when actually he'd seen right through it."

Sakura's lips pursed as she folded her arms, "He even went so far as to talk to three empty places."

"Complete nutcase ..." Kiba chuckled, "But one hell of a ninja." The Inuzuka crumpled up his detention slip and stuffed it into his pocket, "Fuck that ... I've got a date tomorrow that I _refuse_ to miss."

Sakura gripped Kiba by the tie, pulling it tight around his neck and almost choking him, "You're missing it, dog breath. If I got into trouble for you then you'd better have the decency to take your punishment like a man!"

"No way!" Kiba growled, shoving Sakura away. Sasuke caught her just before she fell, "I'm not wasting an hour of my night when I could be doing something much better."

Ino felt herself getting angrier and angrier with the teen. Did he not understand how much trouble Sakura could have been in? "Sakura could have been expelled-"

"Arrested." Sasuke corrected.

"That too!" Ino agreed, "She could have been expelled or arrested because she cast that genjutsu!" The blonde's face was turning pink as she worked herself into a rage for her friend, "Show some fucking gratitude for once in your life, Kiba!"

Sakura straightened herself up, thanking Sasuke for supporting her. She could feel the picture burning in her blazer pocket and was sorely tempted to confront Kiba about it right at that moment. But the plan had a much sweeter taste to it so she kept quiet about it, "Leave him Ino." she said, "He'll get what's coming to him eventually."

The girl began to walk away when she suddenly remembered the essay that Kakashi had set the boys, "Oh yeah!" she grinned maliciously, "Kakashi-sensei wants a three thousand word essay from each of you about why it's wrong to manipulate your friends using another person's teachings." Sakura and Ino broke into fits of laughter as they walked away to the sound of Kiba and Naruto protesting loudly.

"Oh this is going to be _good_." Sakura smirked.

_XxxXxxXxxX_

A short rap of knuckles on wood broke Tsunade out of her pleasant nap. Her head bolted up from its resting place upon her desk as her hand shot up to wipe away some of the drool which had dripped down her chin. Glancing at the clock, the blonde grimaced; it was half past four. She had fallen asleep at one. She knew that Shizune would chew her out about yet another day of work being incomplete.

"Come in!" she eventually called.

The door opened hesitantly and amber eyes widened. In walked Sakura, Ino and Sasuke; a trio that Tsunade had never expected. Sakura's training session wasn't scheduled for another hour at least so what could she possibly want? The pink haired girl had something crumpled in her hand which the medical genius assumed was for her.

"What's wrong Sakura? You don't usually visit me." Tsunade smiled, "Or have you become that eager for pain?"

Sakura chuckled but shook her head, "I've actually come to tell you something, shishou."

"Tell me something?" Tsunade asked, a blonde eyebrow arching, "I'm listening."

Ino and Sakura each shared a glance and suppressed the urge to smirk triumphantly. The air that Tsunade had taken on meant that she was getting down to business. Sakura held up the white side of the picture of Naruto and Kiba, "At school today I found _this_ taped to my locker. I think that you need to take a look at it." The pink haired apprentice stepped forwards and slid the piece of paper, face down, across her desk.

"Oookaaay." Tsunade said, hesitantly taking the paper from her student.

Red nailed hands turned the sheet over and, within a second, Tsunade's face had flushed with colour. The woman was physically shaking as her eyes stared at the picture on her desk. Amber eyes locked with emerald ones, "Is this who I _think_ it is?"

"Naruto and Kiba?" she asked, "The very same." Beside her, Sakura felt Sasuke shift. He was becoming just as excited, a rare display on his part. The Uchiha prodigy was just as eager for them to be punished. He had immense respect for Sakura as his friend and teammate. When Kiba thought that he could fool her with cheap tricks Sasuke decided that he needed to back Sakura up.

"Right." Tsunade said, "Which club is this?"

"We believe it's one called 'Spotlight'." Sasuke answered, "It's quite close to where Naruto lives and-"

"Yes." Tsunade interrupted, "I'm well aquainted with that place." She knew that Jiraiya had taken quite the liking to that place. Half of the woman that the man picked up came from that place. What on earth were two underage students doing in a place like that?

It didn't matter why, all Tsunade cared about was the fact that they had got in. Leaping over her desk Tsunade rushed to her door, "Sakura. Get Naruto and come to the Inuzuka Compound in ten minutes."

**SLAM**

Sakura and Ino high fived, "Your idea to get Tsunade-sama involved was genius!" Ino grinned.

"Shit's gonna hit the fan now" Sakura smirked, "This'll teach them never to lie to me."

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**_Did you guys know that, in Japan, the age of consent is 13 and the drinking and smoking ages are 20? The last two are why Sakura and Tsunade are so angry :) _**

**_Thanks to those people who left reviews. They made me smile :D -see?_**

**_Until next time,  
AN. T. Karismah_**


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